Glaucus

Yo Zuri in 4# and 6# on spinning gear, and Yo Zuri in 10# and 12# on casting gear.

For $130 you can get a Daiwa Tatula CT (retail price). For $110 you can get a Daiwa Fuego CT (retail price). For $100 you can get a Shimano SLX (retail price). You can find sales or go to Amazon or eBay to get them all cheaper. I have Tatulas and Fuegos and my dad has the SLX. My choice would be finding Fuegos for $50-$75. Outstanding reel that isnt much different than the Tatula but is relatively cheaper.

But the most important factor here is winter means ice which means no casting a line, and that is just the worst.

Not a fan either but I'd still take that over the cold

I wish it was 80 and humid all the time as opposed to ever having a winter

Because there is no reason, my friend. You can't not hook a fish on it, and they don't come off.

Braved the hurricane force winds (/s) and got out on the pond for an hour. Caught a 1.5 on a Z-Man spinnerbait. I'm OK with this. Better than nothing!

You have too many rods when you reach a point where you have rods you don't use regularly. I have too many. I'm going to try my hand at unloading some of them. Couple of sayings: The best translation of the Bible is the one you read, and the most expensive rod you own is the one you don't use.

Frogs, buzzbaits, punching, and weightless plastics in holes. You stuck on the bank? If so a kayak would be a good investment if possible to fish other than just that slop.

As usual, I'm backwards. On top of starting on a baitcaster, I started line watching whereas a lot of people start with feel. Thank you, social media age, for once. I think you should wear polarized sunglasses anyways for both eye protection and because it helps on the water, but my eyes are so light sensitive that I can't see the line unless the shades are on. Over stimulation issue but that's another topic. I haven't had the courage to use high visibility braid yet - definitely a (lack of) confidence thing. I think I rely much more on seeing than feeling because when it's really windy I tend to do a lot worse because of the bow in the line.

I never leave without them, from my first trip of the year to my last.

I leave them on. I've only had one rusting issue. It was a Z-Man Original Chatterbait with a Cabela's brand paddle tail trailer. I've even left Senkos on Gammy EWG hooks in-between seasons without issues, but those are good hooks, although the Senko is very salty.

A southern YouTuber kept calling them fairy wands and I commented that he can bring that mouth up north and fish against a northerner using a "fairy wand". All in good fun. He said we probably would stomp him.

We've got 3 straight days of 25-50 mph winds. Temps have gone from high 60s and low 70s to several days with highs in the 40s and lows in the 30s. Most days on the extended forecast are 50s with lows of 30s and rain, rain, rain. I think I quit until May.

A jig rod and a crankbait rod are very different rods. You're also not going to want a 9.3:1 reel for cranking.

Yeah but I'm confident in saying that there is no better sound in fishing than a fish peeling drag on a spinning reel. So satisfying.

I can pitch to a target with a lot more accuracy than I can get out of a spinning rod. I'm backwards in that I started on casting gear, but I know for a fact I've spent more hours with spinning gear. Casting something like a squarebill is a lot more accurate with casting gear too. However if I'm casting a soft plastic in a traditional way, the spinning rod is more accurate. This is just me.

Constantly flipping the bail, wind knots, the slower techniques and lighter lines associated with their use, not as accurate, etc. I, however, love them. Whereas a lot of guys carry very few (maybe 1-3) spinning outfits in their lineup, about 40% of my setups are spinning setups. Well, it isn't so much that I love the spinning setups themselves, but that I love finesse fishing. I'm not so stubborn that I'll try to use a baitcaster for a drop shot, Ned Rig, etc because I also don't reach for the screwdriver to hammer nails or the fork to eat soup.

If I'm fishing a pond it's usually on the smaller side and I typically walk the whole length trying a lure. Once I get back to the starting point I switch and do it all over again until I find a lure that is working and a spot that is holding fish. I don't bank fish lakes and I only bank fish rivers at the dams. I yak/wade those.

And to clarify, along with you, Josh, the individuals who keep the fish do not "sicken" me, and I respect their right to keep fish; I would never say a word about it unless it was illegal size or from a catch and release body of water. I am simply naturally (I guess) repulsed by seeing a bass kept because I have an irrational love for the species.

I'm with you.

They're spots. Beautiful fish.

Roland fishes tournaments. He talks about it on his YouTube channel. Edit: I should read the whole thread before responding. I see that it was already covered.